Morgann Kade is notorious among scholars and common folk alike for his infamous decadence and tolerance of corruption during his rule as Chancellor. He is almost universally despised - with rumours of foul play, sexual deviancy and unsavoury activities persisting to this day. This makes him a frequently demonized figure in both the political and lower levels of society, despite the financial competence that he actually possessed. Unfortunately for him, his substantial contributions to the realm’s finances are often overlooked in favor of a (perhaps justifiably) vilified image, being overshadowed by his political ineptitude.

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Origins and Early Life

Being born to the powerful and influential Kade family, he was brought up in the lap of luxury. Not uncommon for a child of such high status, Morgann experienced a notably isolated childhood. He grew up distant from his busy and high-ranking parents, and was often kept separate from his peers. Whether by the designs of his elders or through his domineering personality and belief that he was of higher worth than other children of his age. It can be presumed that the sexual deviancy and manipulative nature that is so closely associated with the Chancellor’s name began to develop due to the lonely nature of his childhood.

During this period of the boy’s life, various nannies and carers reported occasional mood swings and violent or inappropriate behaviour from their charge. Naturally, these instances were kept under wraps as much as possible, with nannies being payed off or coerced into silence to avoid scandal. Unfortunately, upon noticing that any who objected to his behaviour were swiftly removed from contact with him, Morgan’s behaviour deteriorated further, and almost exclusive contact with yes-men caused his already damaged young mind to fracture all the more. Believing himself infallible, he set about influencing those around him with an odd charm, coupled with a clear self-assuredness. Therefore, in public he maintained a generally well-liked persona, with the few courtiers to openly criticise the child being traditional enemies of the House Kade.

History

As a young man, Morgann worked tirelessly to create something of a minor cult of personality around himself, with even a few major political figures becoming vocal proponents of the young Kade’s supposed principles. The influence and prestige brought by his name, as well as that which he had achieved himself through a mixture of charm and blackmail, allowed him to continue the practically unrestricted lifestyle that he had enjoyed as a child. By this point, he made little attempt to cover up his frequent sexual escapades, which frequently encompassed various elements of sadism.

Clearly, the man had become confident enough in his own ability to avoid scandal that he no longer deemed it necessary to keep his activities secret. In fact, his exploits were overt to the point of almost being common knowledge. Perhaps his charm and generally amicable exterior outweighed his flaws in the minds of would-be critics, or perhaps some found his bravado endearing despite his clearly outlandish moral code. Either way, records show that news of the man’s latest capers made little to no impact on popular opinion of him.

The older he grew, the more influence he gained at court. Even before being granted the position of Chancellor, a point had been reached where very few openly questioned the word of the Kade. This could be considered to be a result of Morgan’s peculiar closeness with the Emperor, Justinian I. The odd nature of their relationship remains unclear to this day, although it raised no small amount of quiet skepticism at the time. Naturally, however, the word of the Emperor went unchallenged. So too did Morgan’s, as he presented himself almost an extension of the Emperor’s will. It was widely known that Justinian I was somewhat infirm of mind, and many Regalians welcomed a strong figure of leadership in what may otherwise have been unstable times.

As Morgan’s rule became increasingly unchallenged, everything would have appeared to be running more or less as usual, as far as casual observers were concerned. Particularly for external states, Regalia seemed to be behaving almost exactly as it had been doing, with no radical changes to any major policies, aside from new and lucrative economic developments. Upon closer examination, however, and for those involved in Regalian politics, it was exceedingly clear that Morgann was behaving increasingly erratically, and executions of any opponent who dared speak out against him became ever more common occurrences.

Justinian I was plainly at Morgan’s beck and call, and the Kade chancellor utilised this to its fullest. It should be considered that Regalia was experiencing a period of intensely firm Unionism, something which allowed Morgann reasonable grounds to execute any and all who opposed the decadence and political malpractice that had become rife. It was at this point, with constant escalation in both Morgan’s private activities as well as the frequency and brutality of punishments against dissenters, that the man’s reputation began to collapse. Unfortunately for those beginning to turn against the Kade, Morgann had already solidified his position to the point that any public announcement against him meant a death sentence.

The subjugation of Lusits and Nordskag provided the Chancellor with just enough funds to maintain the status quo, allowing him to keep the people quiet and himself comfortable. Through the war reparations in particular, Morgann gave lavish public displays of Regalia’s wealth that served to firmly cement his power, and prevented any would-be usurpers from making their move out of fear of disrupting the finely tuned economic balance that had been created.

Later Life

Morgan’s children, having been exposed to highly unusual practices of both a martial and sexual nature at the whim of their father, had all died young. The exception was Norn, the Chancellor’s youngest son, who survived his father after Morgan’s death at the age of 58. The cause of death was a heart attack, brought on while enjoying intimate relations with a group of Elven servants, all of whom were underaged. As if the matter were not already scandalous enough, the encounter had taken place within the Emperor’s private bedchambers while His Imperial Holiness Justinian I was still in the room. Obviously, the true cause of Morgan’s death was immediately obscured as much as possible and shrouded in various lies by the relevant authorities. However, as is so often the case with events of such an odd nature, the actual circumstances in which the Chancellor died quickly became common knowledge. Despite this, Morgan’s demise was almost immediately overshadowed by that of the Emperor. Another death that was blanketed in controversy, it is rumoured that Justinian I actually ended his own life as a result of the odd relationship that he had shared with his Chancellor. Certainly, Morgann Kade died as he had lived, surrounded on all sides by scandal and sexual deviancy.

Personality

Morgann Kade was famed, perhaps more so than for any actual aspect of his rule - for his sexual pervertedness. Equally, his fiery intolerance for so much as the faintest hint of dissent meant that it was far from uncommon for someone who had crossed the Kade to find themselves in a somewhat bothersome position almost immediately, leaving him free to rule by fear. He was undoubtedly a highly manipulative individual, who managed the virtually impossible task of gaining the respect of the Imperial Court and the Emperor himself, before showing his malicious intent and securing his power through the construction of an intricate web of blackmail and threats. His attitude to family was no less unsavoury, with his children being subjected to highly dangerous and inappropriate situations from a very young age, all for the pleasure and amusement of the Kade man.

Legacy

Morgan’s legacy, with little of his treasured funds still remaining, rests primarily with the influence on the Kade family’s modern political outlook, as well as that of the realm. The political cautiousness of the Kades is almost certainly a direct consequence of the rule of Morgan, and the state as a whole continues to be acutely aware of the dangers of allowing one individual to take control over the Emperor and the Empire as a whole in such a rapid and malicious manner. Morgann is now almost universally despised, whether for his sexual tastes or his political involvement. Either way, disregarding the economic factors of his rule, there is little positive impact of Morgan’s time as Chancellor still noticeable today, aside from perhaps the slightly less radical political stance of certain Regalian factions.

Extended Family

Husband of Anna Usta.
Son to Tarnan Kade and Eloise de Bluchard.
Brother to Estalore Kade and Marcanto Kade.
Father to Norn Kade, Justinian Kade and Shalara Kade.
Father to 27 confirmed illegitimate children from various women, of common and noble birth with a mixture of half-elven and at least one half-orc.

Trivia

The Chancellery was renamed to ‘Le Court de Soleil’ at Morgan’s behest. He was the only Regalian Chancellor to speak exclusively in Ithanian.

The true nature of Morgan’s relationship with Justinian I remains entirely ambiguous to this day, and it seems unlikely that historians and researchers will be able to uncover the truth, since documents regarding the pair are heavily restricted and monitored by the Chancellery.